The history of Bailey Banks & Biddle begins on September 10, 1832. On that day, Joseph Trowbridge Bailey and his first partner, Andrew Kitchen, opened their first store on Chestnut Street in Philadelphia. This sets us apart as America’s oldest national jeweler. The award was first recognized in his 1904, when the Philadelphia Press called us “the oldest company in the United States in this field.”
Leading families have always been our customers. One of the 1834 ledgers lists three purchases made by Andrew Jackson, Jr., son of then-President Andrew Jackson.
The first change of management took place in 1846 when Joseph Bailey’s first partner, Andrew Kitchen, retired. Mr. Kitchen fell ill, and four years later he died in 1850. From the beginning, Mr. Bailey strived to provide products of the highest quality and exquisite design. American silversmiths worked with so-called coin silver that was 90% pure. Mr. Bailey raised the bar to his 92.5%, allowing thier silver to compete with the best imports around the world.
On March 12, 1854, the founder Joseph T. Bailey died in Cuba. He had traveled there for the temperate climate due to his illness.
The Civil War Era and The Great Seal
Bailey & Co. was commissioned to create important presentation swords for Union Civil War figures such as General Meade and General Ulysses S. Grant. Several of these swords are at the Smithsonian, including one gifted by the city of Philadelphia to General George McClellan.
The Civil War ended at Appomattox Courthouse on April 9, 1865. On April 14th, Good Friday, Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. After being enshrined in the White House, President Lincoln’s body traveled in a slow funeral procession through major cities to Springfield, Illinois. Bailey & Co. created Medal of the Dead for the occasion.
Bailey Banks & Biddle went public on March 2, 1894.
By the end of the 19th century, Bailey Banks & Biddle had established itself as the preeminent American jeweler. Bailey Banks & Biddle’s inventory includes the rarest and most exquisite gemstones, watches, and jewellery. They also manufactured silverware and sold originals and reproductions of imported bronzes, the finest sables and marble statues, famous masterpieces, paintings and antiques.
1904 is the year Bailey Banks & Biddle created the updated and definitive version of the Great Seal of the United States. The United States Great Seal is used to officially seal over 2,000 documents annually. From treaties and ceremonial foreign communications to the appointment of ambassadors and ministers, seals are a living part of our national identity. The seal appears on all dollar bills and is located above the entrances to all US embassies around the world. The national seal symbolizes the founding principles of our country.
The Bailey Banks & Biddle national seal Die was first used on January 27, 1904. It was used continuously for 26. It was decided that Bailey Banks & Biddle’s design would remain the official and final version of the Great Seal of the United States.
The Great Seal is a national treasure. Its history and symbolism are the story of our nation’s birth. The creation of the Great Seal of the United States will forever remain one of Bailey Banks & Biddle’s proudest achievements.
The Medal of Honor
In 1905 Baillie Banks & Biddle created what is now the Medal of Honor, the highest military award in our country. Awarded “for astonishing gallantry and fearlessness at the risk of death above and beyond the performance of duty in actual combat against armed enemy forces.” The Medal of Honor has been awarded to him 3,460 times since it was first awarded during the Civil War. The Medal of Honor is awarded by the President of the United States.
The first treaty of 1905 created 3,000 Medals of Honor. The Bailey Banks & Biddle Medal of Honor replaced all previous designs of his medals worn by Indians and Civil War veterans at the Soldier’s request.
Class Rings of West Point & Naval Academy
Bailey Banks & Biddle has been making West Point and Naval Academy class rings longer than any other jeweler. The list of alumni wearing the Bailey Banks & Biddle Class ring reads like figures in American history. From General George Patton to General Omar Bradley, from prisoner-of-war and Medal of Honor-winning Admiral James Stockdale to Vice Presidential Candidate Ross Perot. President Jimmy Carter, General Schwarzkopf, Admiral Richard Byrd, Astronaut Alan Shepard, Astronaut Wally Schiller…the list of great feats who have worn Bailey Banks & Biddle class rings is extraordinary.
The Medal Era
The year is 1917 and the need for new military insignia and decorations continues in America. This year, Bailey Banks & Biddle was commissioned to create his first Pilot Wings. These wings are for Navy aviators, America’s first military pilots. The design instantly becomes iconic. The original pilot wing design served as the template for the Airborne Army’s first paratrooper wing and the Navy’s Nautilus his wing. A submarine group was also formed by Bailey Banks and Biddle.
The list of medals compiled by Bailey Banks & Biddle is like a catalog of American military history. Other notable BB&B creations include the Navy Cross, which follows the Medal of Honor, and the Legion of Merit, which is awarded to American officers and officers and citizens of foreign allies.
Toward the 21st Century and Beyond
Charles Weaver Bailey, son of Joseph T. Bailey II, was the last Bailey to lead the firm. He became president after his father died in 1918. Charles was born in 1861 and served as a major in World War I. One of his daughters became a baroness. Charles Bailey died in 1922.
Bailey Banks & Biddle became part of the Zale Corporation on October 2, 1961. At the time, there were three locations in Philadelphia, Chestnut Street, Bryn Marr, and Cherry Hill Mall, still operating at its original location.
In October 1981, President Ronald Reagan hosted the Council on World Affairs in Philadelphia during his first term in office. At this gathering of world leaders, Mayor Greene of Philadelphia presented President Reagan with an inkwell set manufactured by Baillie Banks & Biddle. The pewter inkwell is a recreation of the inkwell used by the founding fathers to sign the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 in Philadelphia. The inkwell became President Reagan’s favorite. He kept it on his desk in the Oval Office, and it is now in the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California.
In 1984 Bailey Banks and Biddle created the James Smithson Medal for the Smithsonian Institution. The medal is the Smithsonian Institution’s most prestigious award. It was awarded only six times by the Smithsonian Board in its first 20 years.
In 1988, Bailey Banks & Biddle designed, minted, and donated the Philadelphia Liberty Medal to the Philadelphia Foundation Civic Organization. The Philadelphia Liberty Medal honors individuals or organizations around the world who have “exemplified leadership and vision in the pursuit of freedom of conscience or freedom from oppression, ignorance and deprivation.” Medals are awarded annually at Independence Hall. Honorees included President Jimmy Carter, President Nelson Mandela, Secretary of State Colin Powell, and Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. The 2005 laureate is Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko.
Today, Bailey Banks & Biddle continues the traditions begun by Joseph T. Bailey in 1832. We preserve the traditions of quality, style and unparalleled service.
Bailey Banks & Biddle is not only America’s oldest jeweler, it is also America’s leading luxury jeweler, with more locations from coast to coast than any other luxury jeweler. As guardians of tradition, we have a great responsibility. The stories are engaging, the stories are moving.